You’ve probably all seen it before, that little http:// or https:// in front of a website address. So what does it mean?

HTTP stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, and the S part stands for Secure. The little http:// in front of a web address is just a way to tell your web browser what type of protocol it should use when going to this address.

The important difference between the two is the “Secure” part.

If you go to a http:// website, it is possible for someone to eavesdrop on the transfer of information between you and the website you are visiting.

When you go to a website with https:// in front of it, it means that you are making a “secure” connection to the website, and everything you send back and forth with that website is encrypted, and can’t be eavesdropped on.

This is why it is VERY important that if you are entering your credit card details online (or sensitive personal data), that you only do it on a https:// website.

The green bar in your web browser, and what it means.

When you visit some https:// websites, the address bar illuminates green, and on others, it does not. Why is this?

The reason that the address bar illuminates green on some websites is because these website have a special type of Secure Certificate called an Extended Validation or EV Certificate.

All https:// websites have a Secure Certificate, but the ones that have an EV Certificate have gone through a more rigorous validation process to ensure they are the company that they claim to be. This is more about trust than security.